Safe guard
by Highnessness
Summary: Sequel to Fine Line. Seven years after.
1. Chapter 1

There she was still petite, still young. Four years hadn't aged her. Her hair still didn't go past her shoulders, keeping the length that Jabba had given her oh so many years ago. And he noticed the black dress wrapped tightly around her. How could he not? He had bought it for her and given it to her back on Hoth before he left.

"_What's this?" she asked as he handed her the package._

_He shrugged. "Open it."_

_Her small fingers worked open the package before her brown eyes saw the black fabric beneath. "Where did you... How did you.."_

_Her eyes going from the package up to him. _

"_A smuggler never tells his secrets, especially to royalty."_

And now it hugged her like he imagined it would. The strapless black gown that was perfectly cut for her frame, molding to her waist before gently flaring. As she walked you saw her leg peak out of the high slit in the front.

He had never seen her wear it and now his imagination hadn't done it justice as she shook hands of dignitaries, generals and the like.

Her brown eyes finally found his and he saw her posture straight and a wall begin to form again just like on Tatooine. Her red high heels marched in a line straight for him.

"General, I hear congratulations are in order," she says with slight edge to her voice.

He turns to the blonde woman on his arm. "None are needed, Princess."

"Han, you never told me you knew Princess Organa," his companion replied with light in her voice.

He didn't look at her. He didn't even seem to acknowledge her. He stared at the royalty in front of him gauging her reaction and there was none.

"I wouldn't imagine that he would. I'm sure he would like to wipe me from his memory."

And there was her bite. Four years and she was still pissed. He figured there would still be resentment and some anger. But not this cool, calm and pissed.

"Well, I'm sure that isn't true, is it Han?" the blonde responded.

And he looked into her clear blue eyes, seeing surprise and slight confusion before turning back to the brunette.

"It's not," he said.

The coldness in her eyes didn't change. Her stare held up that wall. The wall he had never fully broken through. The wall that still held the secrets of her torture, of her confinement, of her time with Jabba.

"When's the wedding?" she asked towards his companions, softly like speaking to a child.

"We haven't set a date."

The brunette nodded, slightly smiling. "Well, I most certainly wish my best upon you..."

And then there was a loud booming and he felt the ground shake, as he leapt to protect his companion. He watched as the princess crouched down, grabbing a gun from under her dress.

"Get out of here!" she yelled at him, running towards the entrance. "Get her out of here!"

"Leia!" he called, still shielding the blonde. "You..."

His voice was drowned out by another loud noise and he saw her run towards it, never looking back. His eyes went down to the blonde, taking her hand as he went towards the back. He tried not to focus on the brunette that was no longer his.

The dust settled sometime later, as he stood with the other generals and dignitaries. He saw the flash of face that he used to know, barking orders towards security. The voice carried, "Protect the people. I don't want another person shot. This is what we prepare for."

His ears heard the words and he immediately walked towards his friend, dragging his companion with him. "Han...oww," he heard her say.

"What happened, Lando?"

"Han, don't worry everything is under control. This doesn't concern you," his friend told him, surveying the crowd.

"It concerns me," he said with steel in his voice. "It concerns everyone here."

"We must protect you, General. Don't risk the lives of others. You are not apart of this operation."

His friends eyes bore into his, silently pleading that he didn't do anything. Before moving back to survey the crowd, looking for what he didn't know.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Old buddy, I can't tell you that."

He looked into his friend's brown eyes, searching for a clue, an answer. Han looked towards the entrance and saw the bright lights. His heart dropped, as he left go of the blonde's hand and hurried towards the wreckage.

"Han!" Lando called.

His own feet quickened, scared of what he might see. Within a few feet he saw it – saw the blood, the bodies and her.

Her body laying bleeding, lifeless. Her eyelids shut and her lips slightly parted. A medic huddled over her taking her pulse and a part of him wanted to go to her, wanted to hold her hand.

"We need to get her out of here! She's losing too much blood," the medic hurriedly said. "She needs surgery or she's not going to make it."

His hazel eyes went to her chest and saw the hint of her bloody pale chest rise and fall, but before he could go any farther he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I must ask, General Solo that you go back inside," Lando said to him.

"You know that's not going to happen, Lando," as he watched the medics place her on the stretcher.

He looked around, the black hooded figures laying dead on the marble floor. The blood, the carnage looked like something he had seen when the Imperials were still in power, but it had been years since then.

"We are losing her," a medic yelled, as his eyes flew to the petite form, convulsing on the stretcher and then the medic door slammed shut.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Han, I'm ok," the voice told him. _

"_You've been shot, Leia," he said, staring at her arm and the blaster wound._

"_I've had worse," she replied, looking at the wound. _

"_I know you have, but at this moment I care about this one," his fingers gently taking off the singed fabric from her upper arm. She hissed. "See not fine."_

_His gaze studied the wound, not too deep, but it was still bleeding. _

"_You might need stitches."_

"_I do not! Let me do it," her hands reaching toward the wound, but he stopped her._

"_Will you stop!" _

_He glared at her, before returning back to her arm. He poured some water over it and she hissed, again. He could feel her angry gaze on his head, but he continued cleaning the wound, putting bacta on it before wrapping it. _

_She hissed for the third time when he tied it tight. He looked from her wound to her face and saw her eyes closed and her head leaned back. He could see the pain on her face and his hand went out to stroke her cheek._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered. _

_Her eyes opened looking into his and she smiled slightly. "Not your fault, I got shot."_

"_Maybe."_

_Her soft, small hand came to rest upon his. Her brown eyes staring deeply into his. _

"_The battle was a success and there is no more Empire. A little wound isn't so bad in the scheme of things, General."_

"_Still wish you hadn't gotten hurt."_

_He felt her soft hand caress his hand. "I know."_

_She leaned in and kissed him gently and tenderly. _

"_If you had your way General, I would have never seen another battlefield. Too bad I outrank you."_

He stared at the vehicle for a long time after it had flown away. His heart in his throat after seeing her there on the stretcher convulsing, knowing this time she might not make it. When his eyes did leave the plane of sight, he looked around counting eight black robed bodies.

"Lando, what the hell happened?" he asked.

"I'm sorry that's classified information, General," his friend replied, picking up a blaster from the ground and gently handling.

He looked at the black weapon in his friend's hands, recognizing it as his own.

"_Here take this," he said, shoving it into her hands. _

"_Han, I don't need a weapon," she replied, holding her hands up. "And I have my own."_

"_Take it!" he encouraged. _

"_It's just a meeting with the prince, why would I need a weapon?"_

"_You never know. He could try and seduce you. You are the last of the House of Organa." _

"_Oh! You, the Council and Luke are impossible! He's not going to seduce me. There will be no seducing. I have you for that, don't I?!"_

"_Maybe, he doesn't care that you have me," he stated flatly. "Maybe, all he cares about is duty and honor. Didn't you say that there had talks of a wedding at some point? Maybe that stuck in his pretty prince head."_

"_Well, then I'll just have to correct him."_

"_Leia, just take the damn blaster!" _

His hand went out to grab it from Lando. The black metal was splattered with crimson blood, her blood.

"She still carries it," he whispered to himself.

"There's not an assignment where she doesn't," Lando confirmed.

"Where did they take her, Lando?"

"Han, I can't tell you that. For her safety and for yours."

"I'm not going to stand here, knowing she could be dying on some hospital table! For all I know and you know, she could not have made it."

"She did make it."

His eyes bore into his friends, trying to find the lie or the truth that was there. "How do you know?"

"I just know."

"Lando, I'm going to see her. Whether you tell me or not, I'll find out."

"I know. But right now, she's going to be entering surgery. That was a kill shot that one of these men took. She's not supposed to be alive after that. A miracle that she still is."

_His fingers caressed the pale skin above the grey sheet. Brown hair piled on the pillow and brown eyes staring directly at him. A hint of smile graced her soft features._

"_I'm starting to like this vacation."_

_He heard light in her voice, something he didn't hear very often. And he knew a grin was forming on his face. _

"_Just starting to? We've been on vacation for a week." _

_She laughed. "Well, the company has just begun to become pleasant."_

_His fingers stopped tracing her arm and he looked at her. A smile broad on her face, her eyes holding mirth, her body relaxed and her hair down. A vision he had seen only a few times. But he wasn't going to allow her to goad him. _

"_That wasn't what I remember. I remember you being pleased with present company the past week," he countered, moving to be closer to her and trying to seem dominant. _

_She laughed, again, bringing her hands to his chest pushing him onto his back before kissing him deeply. His arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her body closer to him. _

"_I love you."_


End file.
